Now, when I was researching possible books for my travel month (I say month, but I realise this month is over-running somewhat. Let's pretend no one else has noticed), I soon cottoned onto the fact that finding a comprehensive list of YA travel fiction was going to be a pretty tough task. But I do not give up easily, oh no. I managed to track down a list of road trip-themed YA on Goodreads (close enough), but was slightly disappointed to find most of these were set in the good old US of A. Not that I have a problem with US road trips. I adore them. I want to do one, one day...*stares off into distance* BUT, I have already covered that particular mini-genre this month with my review of Amy and Roger's Epic Detour. And jolly lovely it was too. Just before I was about to through in the towel, I stumbled across this title a bit further down the chart of road-trips.Ever since I finished A Monster Calls, I have been very intrigued by Siobhan Dowd's books. They seem to encompass everything I love about contemporary YA - sad but beautiful, as the lovely Jo from Wear The Old Coat would say. Somehow, this one had managed to slip under my radar - a ROAD TRIP but set in my homeland! Perfect. Because we all know travel just doesn't mean frolicking to far flung corners. And their are plenty of folk reading this book who would consider a road (and boat) trip from London to Ireland a far-flung travel.So where do I start with this. SO MANY, MANY FEELINGSI won't go into details of Holly's painful childhood, but please don't let the trauma put you off reading this. Yes, there are bleak moments, but this is no way an 'issue based' YA book. I have nothing against YA that tackles the rough stuff. I'm sure many a teenager finds comfort and, well, solace from this type of YA fiction. But sometimes, the characters come second to the issues being tackled. What I loved so much about this was the fact the Holly Hogan is first and foremost a human being, a teenager, a personality rather than a problem to be laid bare.The reader is given an access-all-areas pass into her thoughts and feelings. We are told nothing, but shown everything. 'Her words are rattling together like the ice-cubes in her see through drinks.'Her journey starts when she discovers a wig tucked at the bottom of a chest of drawers belonging to her foster mother. It triggers a reaction and an impulse to journey to Ireland in search of her estranged mother. Her voice is convincing and powerful throughout. Never once did I NOT believe this was a young teenage girl flitting from emotion to emotion. The supporting characters are equally well-written. We are given the measure of all of them in just a few lines - foster mother Fiona - 'She was the kind of person who dresses poorer than she is...'. See - bloody genius writing. All of it. My particular favourite was the country music-loving, vegan trucker Phil. Or as Holly says, 'God on the road'.Why is it so much easier to write about the flaws that I find in a book rather than all the beautiful bits? That is why writing this review has been so difficult - because this book is perfect.'I was Solace the Unstoppable, the smooth-walking, sharp-talking glamour girl, and I was walking into a red sky, ready to hitch a ride. I was crossing the sea and landing in Ireland. The I was walking up a hill to meet my mam, breathing in the morning air by the pint. This is how I thought myself into the sweet, soft day on the other side of the sea where the grass is green. That night and every other night for weeks to come, I traced the road.'After reading that, I don't think I really need to tell you how astonishing the writing is. It makes it all the more sad when I remember that the author is no longer here to write more sad but beautiful words. TRAVEL TIPS?It feels a bit flippant to write about bog-standard travel tips in the context of this book. Holly's journey is very much a metaphorical one, so much more so than any other travel fiction I've read in the last few weeks. So, in a break from the norm, I'm going to let Holly describe her own thoughts about MY turf, my little corner of west London - 'Shepherds Bush, I knew from my travels with Grace and Trim, was on the tube. It wouldn't be green and lush with sheep and shepherds, it would be roads and fumes. In my head, I was already standing at the start of the motorway and sticking out my thumb.'Roads and fumes, yes. But so much more. Remember, it's also the end of a motorway as well as the beginning of one. So I will end my last travel month review by saying that one of the best things about travelling is coming back home again.I reviewed this book as part of my travel month. Please see my blog for more details - www.annascottjots.blogspot.co.uk
3 1/2 starsThis book is beautifully written, emotionally honest, and kept me riveted through many hot, humid, should-have-been-unbearable walks. I loved so many things about it and I would recommend it in a heartbeat. Unfortunately I think this is just one of those cases of “it’s not you, it’s me.” This is a very quiet, understated story that is nonetheless powerful. Holly is a “care-babe” – raised in the foster care system in England ever since she and her mam got separated when she was very young and her mam headed back to Ireland, where she was born. Holly eventually finds herself in a group home, where she spends several years gaining a small measure of stability with a couple of older, troublemaking pals and her social worker. Everything starts changing when her social worker announces that he’s leaving for another job and Holly is offered a foster placement with a well-off do-gooders Ray and Fiona. Stifled by her new environment and betrayed by every adult she’s ever counted on, Holly longs to run away to Ireland and find her mam again. When she discovers an ash blond wig in her foster mother’s things, she puts it on and suddenly becomes someone else – Solace. Solace is older, confident, and brave. Solace is a survivor, and she’s ready to head out into the world on her own. So she does. “I was Solace the Unstoppable, the smooth-walking, sharp-talking glamour girl, and I was walking into a red sky, ready to hitch a ride. I was crossing the sea and landing in Ireland. I was walking up a hill to meet my mam, breathing in the morning air by the pint.”This book travels the roads of parental abandonment with unflinching honesty. I felt so much for Holly, who reveals just as much when she’s lying to everyone she meets as she does when she’s finally admitting the painful truths to herself. I felt such a mixture of heartbreak and pride for this fourteen year old girl, who has the strength to conjure up an unstoppable slim-slam glamour girl to get herself through, but who understandably has a hard time setting Solace aside and letting her own hurts come to the surface. I think that Siobhan Dowd did such an amazing job of showing how these coping mechanisms, which are so necessary sometimes, can also become our worst enemies. However, this book did feel a bit too young and rosy-hued for me. While the inner-mom in me was so thankful and relieved when Holly found the help that she needed and avoided getting seriously hurt on the road, the inner realist in me was nay-saying for the entire journey. While I wish that every teenage girl runaway out there would happen upon kind night-nurses, vegan truckers, and sweet LOTR-obsessed biker boys, I think the truth is often far worse.But, I think that this book was written with a younger audience in mind and I did appreciate its very hopeful message. I think I only have one real criticism: I wish this book had ended about twenty pages sooner. The decision that Holly makes on the boat is momentous enough on its own; ending the story right there would have given this story so much more of a punch. I know that some readers love epilogues (and epilogue-style endings) – they love to see things get wrapped up and find out what happened to this character and that character and so forth. But for me, in general, epilogues seem to only diminish the power of the story itself. I’d much prefer to be left wondering about and imagining my own follow-ups, especially when the ones given are so neat and pretty and unrealistic. Holly’s journey and eventual realizations were more powerful for me on their own.Perfect Musical PairingThe Head And The Heart – Rivers and RoadsI love this song for Holly. It’s about missing and remembering everyone who’s gone out of your life and longing to find your way back – across rivers and roads. I don’t think of this song as necessarily being about her mother either, but about Grace, Trim, Miko, Fiona, Ray, and young Holly – all the people she’s lost along the way.Also seen on The Readventurer.
What do You think about Solace Of The Road (2009)?
I just finished this, and my heart is filled to the absolute brim. I'd liken it to the feeling I get around Thanksgiving and Christmas, when I look around the room and see all the people I love and care about talking and laughing, and it's that moment of pure happiness that lingers in my heart. After finishing Solace of the Road, that feeling sprung up, and I instantly wanted to go back to page 1 and read it all over again. Solace was one of the best characters I've ever read. She is so strong but vulnerable, sweet but icy, lovely but broken. I don't think I've ever felt so close to a character before, or have been so invested in their journey, growth, and happiness. Solace would make such a wonderful friend; she has a great sense of humor, despite everything she has been through. She and I are the same age, and she has more bravery than I could have in a lifetime.The little details (strawberry birthday cake, Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), gold curtains, blonde wig) and people she meets on her journey (Chloe, Phil, Sian, the motorcycle boy) made this book incredibly special. They helped make the story feel so real. It made me want to pack up my purse and run off. This book deserves a million hugs. Solace deserves a million hugs.
—Morgan Renae
This is the story of a girl ,Holly, who grew up in the equivalent of an orphanage in England. When she was 14 a couple adopted her. The couple couldn't have children and they loved her and took good care of her. Right before her 15th birthday Holly decided to run away. She had the vague memory of her biological mother and decided to flee to Ireland and find her. Over the course of the story Holly meet a number of interesting people. She hitches her way almost to Ireland, almost getting caught a
—Mrsinserra
Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.comLife has not been exactly fair to Holly. She has grown up in a series of group and foster homes surrounded by social workers who say they care, but it certainly doesn't feel like they do.As the story begins, Holly is headed toward a new home. A childless couple arranges for a few test visits and then decide they are willing to offer Holly a place in their lives. It should be the answer to Holly's dream, but her sights are set on finding her Irish mam and not relying on the kindness of strangers.Maybe it's the constant disappointments over the years and the repeated caregivers who have abandoned Holly. Whatever the reasons, she doesn't feel that she can go through it again. After a short stay with the new couple and one heated outburst, Holly decides it's time to leave.She stumbles across a blond wig that adds several years to her own almost fifteen, and when she looks in the mirror, she reinvents herself with a new name - Solace. Solace has the courage and the calm attitude needed to strike out and find her mam.The journey takes Solace (Holly) into a world of roadside diners, truck drivers, and adventure spiced with bits of humor and potential danger. She's a girl in search of her past and, hopefully, a future filled with a promise of real family and real love.Siobhan Dowd, author of several other award-winning YA books, tragically died of cancer at age 47. SOLACE OF THE ROAD features her typical Irish flare with colorful characters leading less-than-perfect lives. She captures the loneliness and desperation of Solace as she searches for what most of us take for granted.American readers may find SOLACE OF THE ROAD a challenging read due to its definite Irish/British dialect and tone, but once they are caught up in the story, they will find it a rewarding read. Dowd's exceptional talent will be missed.
—Jennifer Wardrip
